The Age of Innocence

Countess Olenska, separated from her European husband, returns to old New York society. She bears with her an independence and anawareness of life which stirs the educated sensitivity of Newland Archer, engaged to be married to May Welland.

Summer

Summer, set in New England, is a novel by Edith Wharton, published in 1917. The novel details the sexual awakening of its protagonist, 18-year-old, Charity Royall, and her cruel treatment by the father of her child. Only moderately well-received when originally published, Summer, has had a resurgence in critical popularity since the 1960s.

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel of the Roaring Twenties is beloved by generations of readers and stands as his crowning work. This new audio edition, authorized by the Fitzgerald estate, is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain). Gyllenhaal's performance is a faithful delivery in the voice of Nick Carraway, the Midwesterner turned New York bond salesman, who rents a small house next door to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby....

Daisy Miller

The innocent and insolent Daisy confronts the traditions of old Europe and confounds all of the people (especially the men) who surround her. All throughout the story, there are classic Jamesian views on the differences between English and American societies.

The Scarlet Letter

One of the most important novels in classic literature, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter tackles the subject of adultery, with the notorious Hester Prynne at the forefront of the scandal in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the beginning of the novel, Hester is serving time in prison for having a child out of wedlock and is forced to wear a scarlet A on her clothing at all times, so she cannot run from her sin no matter where she goes.

Le Pere Goriot

Honoré de Balzac uses his classic style of detail to describe a most controversial setting in his novel Le Pere Goriot. The story takes place in Paris just after the fall of Napoleon in 1819. The story focuses on three characters, Rastignac, a student who wants to try and make it big in the capital, Vautrin, an interesting and funny character who is also quite mysterious, and the main character, Goriot, that carries a heavy burden that only a loving parent would endure.

The Crucible

In the rigid theocracy of Salem, Massachusetts, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the town. In the ruthlessness of the prosecutors and the eagerness of neighbor to testify against neighbor, The Crucible mirrors the anti-Communist hysteria in the 1950s.

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness tells a story based on Conrad's own experiences in the Congo Free State during the 1890s. Set in Africa, the main character, Marlow, is asked to find and bring back the ivory trader, Mr. Kurtz. However, the deeper Marlow travels, the more ominous and depressing his surroundings become.

The Custom of the Country

Edith Wharton stands among the finest writers of early 20th-century America. In The Custom of the Country, Wharton’s scathing social commentary is on full display through the beautiful and manipulative Undine Spragg. When Undine convinces her nouveau riche parents to move to New York, she quickly injects herself into high society. But even a well-to-do husband isn’t enough for Undine, whose overwhelming lust for wealth proves to be her undoing.

The Mysterious Island

Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island is an epic adventure story that takes place during the American Civil War era. As a sequel to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the novel beings with a group of characters who must band together to survive after they escape imprisonment during the war by stealing a giant air balloon. As fate would have it, they get lost in a storm and crash land on an unknown island somewhere around New Zealand.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

This is the story of a boy's adventures growing up in a small town on the banks of the Mississippi river over 100 years ago. The cheerful, adventurous hero plays truant to form a pirate band and, together with his best friend, Huckleberry Finn, finds fun, excitement, and buried treasure along the shores of the great river.

A Room with a View

Lucy Honeychurch and her older cousin, Miss Bartlett, tour Italy in the springtime. However, the pension they are staying at may as well be in London. The proprietress speaks a London cockney, the meat is overdone, and their windows give them a view of dirty alleys. However, when the socially clumsy Mr. Emerson offer to exchange rooms, this does anything but remedy the situation. You see, nobody knows what to make of the Emersons. It's so hard to know how to respond to people who speak the truth.

The Awakening

The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a classic novel set in the 1800s that explores the revelations of the simple housewife, Edna Pontellier. While on vacation with her husband and her two sons in the Grand Isle near New Orleans, Edna makes new friendships that transform her ordinary life and perspective upside down.

The Lost World

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World begins with Edward, a self-assured newspaper reporter who believes that the woman he admires, Gladys, will undoubtedly agree to his marriage proposal. To his utter shock and amazement, Gladys stops "Ned" from proposing and announces that she can't marry him because he does not have the characteristics of her ideal man. In order to gain her hand in marriage, Edward seeks to become someone of merit and value....

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Agatha Christie wrote The Mysterious Affair at Styles during the midst of World War I. The book was published in 1920 and became extremely popular because of the well-grounded plot and interesting characters. The novel is set at Styles Court, a wealthy estate in England during the war. The estate's owner, Mrs. Cavendish, had inherited the estate as well as vast sums of money from her late husband.

Candide

Voltaire's Candide can only be described as a satirical novella that was intended to attack the optimistic and backwards way of thinking that was common during the 18th century. Filled with absurd and darkly humorous content, the short work is a highly debatable and thought-provoking piece. The story centers around Candide, the nephew of a baron, who's teacher, Pangloss, teaches Candide that the world is the way it should be and that everything in it is good.

A Princess of Mars

A Princess of Mars was the first book by Edgar Rice Burroughs to feature the character John Carter. It led to an 11-book series featuring his adventures and became the basis for the 2012 movie. Carter is a war-weary former military captain during the Civil War who is inexplicably transported to Mars. He quickly (and reluctantly) becomes embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions among the inhabitants of the planet.

Audible Editor Reviews

Published in 1911, Wharton's novel is set in the desolate New England town of Starkfield. Ethan Frome, a painfully loyal farmer and his demanding wife, Zeena, are trapped in a cheerless marriage. When her cousin Mattie comes to work for them, Ethan and Mattie struggle against forbidden feelings, but inevitably, they fall in love. Scott Brick's able narration conveys the pervasive dreariness of lives only briefly relieved by the advent of possibility. However, as with many of Wharton's novels, irony dominates. Brick's performance offers a familiarity with Downeast colloquialisms and thoroughly believable New England accents. He brings Wharton's characters to oppressive life in this unrelentingly grim story. This production opens with a brief summary of the author's life, offering insights.

Publisher's Summary

Ethan Frome, a poor, downtrodden New England farmer, is trapped in a loveless marriage to his invalid wife, Zeena. His ambition and intelligence are oppressed by Zeena's cold, conniving character. When Zeena's young cousin Mattie arrives to help care for her, Ethan is immediately taken by Mattie's warm, vivacious personality. They fall desperately in love as he realizes how much is missing from his life and marriage. Tragically, their love is doomed by Zeena's ever-lurking presence and by the social conventions of the day. Ethan remains torn between his sense of obligation and his urge to satisfy his heart's desire, up to the suspenseful and unanticipated conclusion.

Perhaps reflective of Wharton's own loveless marriage, this sophisticated, star-crossed love story vividly depicts her abhorrence of society's relentless standards of loyalty. Ethan Frome is one of Wharton's most popular and best-known works.

I tried this book because of the narrator, and loved the story! It is a fascinating glimpse into another time and mindset, and has some unexpected turns and ironies. The characters develop through the story in such a way that the listener is thoroughly engaged. Scott Brick gives a brilliant portrayal of the regional accent and cadence of speech. A recommended listen!

If it were a little condensed, this story would remind me of a twilight zone episode. That's not a negative comment; those were great stories, and so is Ethan Frome. It's a tragedy certainly, but I have to believe it would not have the same powerful effect with a happy ending. buy it.

This is one of those novels/novellas that is so cold, barren and bleak that the full beauty of it isn't completely evident until you put the book down, drink a warm beverage, and warm your brain, body and soul back up. Wharton's prose is amazing and her plot is perfection.

'Ethan Frome' is another novella that proves that bigger isn't always better. This book joins a short but very amazing list of short novels that seem to almost acheive literary perfection in under 150 pages: 'Heart of Darkness', 'Of Mice and Men', 'Animal Farm', 'Old Man and the Sea' and 'the Metamorphosis'. Anyway, I've read/listened to books well over 600+ pages that have 1/2 as much to say.

For a short story, this book packs a lot thought provoking questions. Not the most intriguing story I have ever read, but it makes one think of relationships and how we treat each other. Maybe if the book was longer, the author could have developed the characters more. Still, not a bad read.

I came back to this book after reading it in high school many years ago. I had forgotten how chillingly good it is. Alfred Hitchcock could have made an amazing movie from it. Then tension between Ethan and his wife is excruciating. A great story with a fantastic reading by Scott Brick. Try it.

"Ethan Frome" is a little gem! Short enough to be read in a day, I confess it took me longer as I stopped from time to time to think about the story. Wharton has written a passionate book hidden behind the austere exteriors of her New England characters. The melancholy beauty of it took my breath away! This is not a book to read and move on; she leaves her readers considering her setting, characters, and conflict and knowing there is more depth than a single reading can reveal. The narrator seemed to capture the tone and only added to the story. Highly recommended!